Saudi fintech is moving in sync
How Money20/20 Middle East is accelerating alignment across regulators, banks, and builders
Why fintech’s next phase is about participation, not adoption.
Fintech doesn’t scale through access anymore. It scales through participation.
For the last decade, fintech has pushed hard for inclusion – to get more people into the system. Open more accounts, build more rails.
That mission has made real progress. The Global Findex Database 2025 shows that 79% of adults globally had a financial account in 2024, up from 74% in 2021 and 51% in 2011. It also shows that 86% of adults worldwide own a mobile phone – a reminder that connectivity is now central to financial inclusion.
But access is no longer the whole story.
The next chapter requires a shift from users to participants: from people entering the system to people influencing it. Founders, regulators, investors and operators are no longer orbiting separate conversations. Increasingly, they’re building the market together.
That is what turns a fintech scene into an ecosystem.
Namer Khan (Chairman and Founding Board Member at MENA Fintech Association): "I think Money20/20 Middle East is bringing together global leaders in one place. Amplification of voices is critical. And most importantly creating a platform where you have young talent, emerging talent, leaders who have scaled businesses, institutions who are looking to bring capital into the sector, come together under one single roof – that’s really important not just for fintech, but any sector globally."
Watch: Who’s in the room together – at Money20/20 Middle East 2026.
Watch: The markets that move from inclusion metrics to ecosystem depth.
Do: If you’re an operator, prioritise proximity now.
Do: If you’re an investor, look for density, not just deal flow.
Who’s still not participating in fintech innovation – and how can the ecosystem welcome them in? Open this newsletter on LinkedIn and tell us in the comments.
We’ll see you back here next week.
How Money20/20 Middle East is accelerating alignment across regulators, banks, and builders
Inside KAFD and the ecosystem forming around Saudi fintech.
How Money20/20 Middle East is accelerating alignment across regulators, banks, and builders
Inside KAFD and the ecosystem forming around Saudi fintech.